Saint Paul says that it is “the greatest.”
Jesus lists it as the top commandment, summing up the
works and teachings of all the laws and prophets. More
songs are written about it than any other aspect of human
experience. Let’s explore love -- scientifically,
philosophically, spiritually, including some of Edgar
Cayce’s insights from the Universal Consciousness.

From a scientific point of view, love is a combination
of evolutionary forces and biochemistry. Evolution’s
unswerving drive for survival of the species has grabbed
onto human bonding because the weaving of pairs of individuals
into interdependent units increases the reproductive success
of the parents and the survival rate of their infants.
The evolved body is also loaded with powerful chemicals
to help ensure the success of the bonding. The “love
chemical” is phenylethylamine (PEA).

When this is released in the brain of any human, he or she
will feel uncontrollably amorous, romantic, and “turned
on” by the person who is the object of these feelings.
Follow this up with a little oxytocin (often called “the
cuddle chemical”), and you have the lovemaking sensations
of relaxed satisfaction and attachment. For the relationship
to endure, however, endorphins must be released in the brain.
If they are, then the love relationship endures.

Psychologically,
love is dependent upon childhood caregiving. Much research has
documented three bonding orientations in children that carry
over into adulthood. Using their terms, the three orientations
are: secure bonding, ambivalent, and avoidant. If childhood
care is consistent, comforting, and offers a safe base from
which to explore the world, then the child grows into an adult
that has a secure orientation toward bonding, which results
in trust, lasting relationships, shared intimacy, and the ability
to work out conflicts through compromise. If the childhood care
is inconsistent, creating doubts about the caregiver’s
availability and the safety of the base from which to explore,
then the child grows up to view him- or herself poorly and be-comes
preoccupied with keeping his or her romantic partners close
at hand and firmly committed. If the childhood care needs are
repeatedly rejected or the caregiver is frequently upset or
violent, then the child develops avoid-ant patterns and grows
up to either look down upon or dread any hints of emotional
intimacy.

From a philosophical perspective, love can be categorized into
three major types, using the Greek words eros, philia, and agape.
Eros refers to love that is passionate, intense, and sexual,
even erotic. However, Plato held that eros really seeks transcendental
beauty, but human beauty reminds one of that transcendent beauty.
Philia love is fondness and appreciation of the other, beyond
self. It is friendship, family loyalty, community ties, love
for one’s work, and the like. Agape love refers to God’s
love for His/Her children and to humani-ty’s love for
one another. Agape love does not seek anything in return for
its expression. However, agape love has an ethical standard
and may therefore impartially determine another’s warranting
love -- something we acknowledge today as tough love, meaning
a love that calls the other to higher levels of behavior. In
the New Testament, written in Greek, many of the “love”
statements use the word agape.

Throughout the Bible, love is most important and powerful.
When we think of power, even spiritual power, we rarely think
of love. Yet, from Genesis to the Revelation, the Bible indicates
that love evokes the highest, most godly of powers and actually
is the nature of God. Love brings us closest to our true, divine
nature -- our angelic nature. Many biblical passages teach that
of all the things a person can learn and do in this world, nothing
reflects Godliness more than love. (Love’s power is developed
further on page 4, Giving of Ourselves.)

The two greatest commandments are found in the Old and New
Testaments. The first is found in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Matthew
22:37:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

The disciple Paul’s famous love statement is found in
1 Corinthians 13:13:

“Now abide faith, hope, and love [agape], these three;
but the greatest of these is love.”

Paul describes love beautifully: “Love is patient, love
is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not
provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does
not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures
all things. Love never fails.”

Peter’s love advice is in 1 Peter 4:8: “Above all
things, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love
covers a multitude of sins.”

John wrote in 1 John 4:7-12: “Beloved, let us love one
another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born
of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know
God, for God is love .... If we love one another, God abides
in us, and His love is perfected in us.”

Edgar Cayce gave over two thousand readings teaching spiritual
seekers to live, think, speak, and abide in love. Here are his
comments to four different people:

“Let the beauty of your joy, in manifesting the light
and love as shown in the Christ-Spirit, that makes for the new
song in your heart, keep you in your daily walks of life.”

“Let others do as they may, but as for you and your house,
you will love the living God. Know His love is sufficient to
keep you. No matter what may be the trial, His love abides,
and He is not unmindful of your prayers.”

“The beauty of your life rises as a sweet incense before
the altar of mercy. Yet it is not sacrifice but peace, grace,
and mercy that we would manifest among the children of men.
For God is love.”

“Keep your paths straight. Know in whom you have believed,
as well as in what you believe. For the love as passes understanding
can, does, and will make your pathway brighter. Keep in that
way.”

Jesus presented love on levels, identifying the highest love
in this often quoted passage: “No greater love has a person,
than to give up his or her life for another” -- not literal
death, but giving up self’s desires for another’s.
It is thinking more of what another may need than what self
may want. Cayce said that Jesus had a secret prayer that he
repeated to himself, “Others, Lord, others.” This
kept the Father’s power that flowed through Jesus on the
right track -- not glorifying himself but revealing the Light
and Love that flowed through him -- God’s love, our Father’s
and Mother’s love. Selfless loving is the ideal -- giving,
caring without expectation of getting something in return. Yet,
this must not be self-destructive. No one could accuse Jesus
of being a doormat of self-deprecating love. He often radiated
a tough love. Those around Him often needed truth, justice,
and a clear position on God’s ways, not pampering. Jesus
cared so much for others that he would not let them remain in
their darkness or misunderstandings. Yet he never condemned
them. Rather, He called their mistakes to their attention. He
also showed a remarkable sense of their inability to handle
the full truth, choosing to be patient: “I have yet many
things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now,” John
16:12.

A mature love requires that we “rightly divine and divide
the truth.” Cayce often referred to this teaching, as
in this example:

“First, study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman
not ashamed, rightly divining - or dividing - the words of truth;
that is, giving proper evaluations to the material, the mental,
and the spiritual relation-ships, the economic, the social,
the orders of things in their proper form. Be not hasty in decisions
but know that the answers may come from within,” 189-3.

In our personal search for spiritual understanding, nothing
will empower and illuminate us more than love. But its way is
subtle, gentle, choosing to work in the background, quietly.
Its workshop is our own hearts and minds; its testing grounds,
everyday life and everyday relationships. Prayer and meditation
can enhance our ability to understand and practice love in daily
life. Supplicant prayer followed by a rising sense of entering
into God’s presence, and abiding there in loving at-onement,
will yield our better self. This loving presence will be in
little things throughout the day -- little things that usually
only God and our individual soul know.

These loving experiences often leave us humbled but happy and
content. Marriage, parenting, friend-ship, work, and self-esteem
all improve when love is carried in one’s heart and mind.

God truly is love. And abiding in God’s love is transcending,
lifting us beyond our normal perspective. “Seek ye first
His kingdom (Love), and all else will be added to you.”